The Securities and Exchange Board of India (Sebi) rolled out its 'Samajh Se Investing Simple' awareness drive on 15 February 2026, unveiling a stark gap in investor knowledge: just 36 percent scored at a moderate or high level in the Sebi Investor Survey 2025, a figure that undercuts the growing appetite for equity products.
By March 2026, the mutual‑fund sector housed 28.62 crore folios and commanded assets under management worth ₹82.64 lakh crore, while the National Stock Exchange (NSE) logged more than 25 crore registered client accounts, and the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) added 3.53 crore new accounts in FY26.
The Economic Survey 2025‑26 charted a gradual shift in household savings composition, with equity and investment funds climbing from 12% of total assets in FY19 to 18% in FY25. Yet the rise in participation does not match the rise in understanding.
“Understanding the fundamentals is important, but knowing how to apply them to your own life matters just as much,” said Aswini Bajaj, CEO of Leveraged Growth. He warned that blind adherence to popular savings formulas can lead to misaligned risk exposure.
Rohit Kumar, a 27‑year‑old software developer from Pune, told reporters he had to choose between a high‑interest personal loan and a low‑interest savings account because he didn’t fully grasp how inflation would erode his purchasing power over ten years.
In response, the Ministry of Finance announced it will draft a comprehensive financial‑literacy curriculum, to be released nationwide in September 2026, aimed at bridging the knowledge gap before the next fiscal cycle.